The Deep Roots Of The Garden Tour
Reflecting On 17 Years This June 17
By Sierra Fleenor, GPHC Executive Director
This year marks Greater Park Hill’s 17th Annual Garden Walk. It’s on June 17 this year, and so I couldn’t resist acknowledging the recurrence of the number 17 through a retrospective.
Longtime resident and Greater Park Hill volunteer Ann Long recently took the time to speak with me about the history of the Garden Walk. Alongside her interview, I gathered information from the 15th anniversary retrospective written by Long, as well as historical Greater Park Hill Newspaper articles, also written by Long. Have you noticed a theme? Ann Long was the driving force behind the inception and creation of the first ever Garden Walk – then called the Garden Tour.
When asked why she conceived of a garden-focused event, Long cited a few causes. In 2001 the GPHC board faced a daunting budget deficit, and she and other concerned board members wanted to find a way to remedy the situation. She also mentioned visiting a friend in another city, learning of their garden tour, and having that classic “aha” moment.
“That late fall [we] scoured Park Hill streets looking for prospective gardens,” Long says. “Exploring for and discovering memorable backyard gardens through alley fences still is a fond memory.” She describes the human power that made the first Garden Walk come together, recalling the names of those most invested in bringing the event to pass, including Barbara Cavendar, Mary Ann Welch, and Helen Quinn – who still coordinates the effort today.
At Long’s suggestion, I went to the Greater Park Hill Newspaper archives and looked through issues from early 2001, when the Garden Walk was first conceived. Between February and July of that year, an article written by Long appeared in each issue, each bursting with botanical knowledge and wit.
“The germ of an idea quickly sprouted and is now gaining strength in the longer days of Colorado winter sunlight,” wrote Long in the first-ever mention of the now perennial event. The article, from February 2001, speaks of a call for volunteers to help support the nascent tour.
By the time of the March paper’s publication that year, the Garden Tour had started to take form. “In late June we’ll get to visit many Park Hill gardens and meet with the gardeners who designed, planted and tend them,” Long wrote. In fact, the tour of 2001 boasted that ticket holders would be “invited to take your pick from about two dozen gardens.”
Much like today, the article noted that, “gardeners will be there to identify plants, and share stories of their successes and innovative solutions to ‘problems.’” The April and May issues shared more about the individual gardens that were featured, including well-established rose and perennial plantings and backyard vegetable gardens.
Growing success
When asked how she knew the first Garden Walk was a success, Long answered simply, “we’d covered all our expenses before the event.” Any event planner knows how important it is to clear expenses prior to an event. Long also shared a less measurable effect: “Visual proof of the Walk’s success is the tremendous increase in Park Hill gardens since 2001.”
In July of 2001, the newspaper reported that “an estimated 700 residents and visitors enjoyed a glorious early-summer day circulating through Park Hill and viewing two dozen resident gardens.” That year more than $8,800 was raised, with nearly $6,000 in profit, which helped GPHC recover from the budget deficit that served as the catalyst for creating this event in the first place.
“I’m really delighted that it has become an institution just like the 4th of July Parade, and [Park Hill Home Tour] have been,” Long says. Considering the significant changes that have occurred since the inaugural year, Long shared her belief that “You can’t worry about what they’re gonna do. You have to just say go with it.”
Sixteen years later
Flash forward to last year, when the Garden Walk boasted nine beautiful gardens that included a rose garden from the 1920s, a backyard-turned-interconnected koi pond, and a couple driveways repurposed as vegetable gardens. Attendance has remained comparable to the first tour in 2001, with an estimated 600 to 700 neighbors and visitors enjoying the unique offering of gardens.
Dozens of volunteers contributed more than 1,200 hours of time to support the event. In all, more than $10,000 was raised – resulting in more than $7,000 in profit to support the various programming and services of Greater Park Hill Community, Inc.
If you’re inspired by the dedication and effort of volunteers and gardeners over the history of the Garden Walk, I hope you will join us on June 17 as either a volunteer or an attendee.
Check out Tara Bannon Williamson’s story on page 11 for all the details about this year’s Garden Walk, including information about ticket pricing, artists in the garden, and how to volunteer.